Meanings
present singular third person forswears · participle present forswearing · past forswore · participle past forsworn · alternative foreswear
- transitiveTo renounce or deny something, especially under oath.
We forswear allegiance and support for the Economic Freedom Fighters.
5 more examples
Never to woo her more; but do forswear her.
1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the ShrewLike Innocence, and as serenely bold / As Truth, how loudly He forswears thy Gold!.
1726, John Dryden, translating Juvenal, SatiresLong since he had given up every intention of returning to civilization, and now he had decided to see no more his black friends of the Waziri. He had forsworn humanity forever. He had started life an ape—as an ape he would die.
1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 198Either forswear fucking others or the affair is over.
1995, Philip Roth, Sabbath's TheaterThe sheer unimaginableness of coming into her mouth — of coming into anything other than the air or a tissue or a dirty sock — was an allurement too stupendous for a novice to forswear.
2008, Philip Roth, IndignationSynonyms: abjure, disavow, swear off, abjure, deny, disavow, disclaim, disown
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo renounce or deny something, especially under oath.
More synonyms by meaning
verbformally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishforswerian“to swear falsely”
- Middle Englishforsweren
- Englishforswear
From Middle English forsweren, from Old English forswerian (“to swear falsely”). Cognate with Old Saxon farswerian, Old High German farsweren, German verschwören. More at for- + swear.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian отричам под клетва, лъжесвидетелствам
- отричам под клетва (otričam pod kletva)to renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- лъжесвидетелствам (lăžesvidetelstvam)to commit perjury
Dutch ontkennen, afzweren
- ontkennento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- afzwerento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- meineed plegento commit perjury
French nier, démentir
- nierto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- démentirto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- abjurerto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- parjurerto commit perjury
German abschwören, entschieden bestreiten
- abschwörento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- entschieden bestreitento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- strikt ablehnento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- verzichtento renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- Meineid begehento commit perjury
Greek επιορκώ, ψευδορκώ
- επιορκώ (epiorkó)to renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- ψευδορκώ (psevdorkó)to commit perjury
Māori oati teka
- oati tekato commit perjury
Polish wyrzekać się, wyrzec się
- wyrzekać sięto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- wyrzec sięto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- wypierać sięto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- wyprzeć sięto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- krzywoprzysięgaćto commit perjury
- krzywoprzysięgnąćto commit perjury
- krzywoprzysiącto commit perjury
Russian отрека́ться, лжесвиде́тельствовать
- отрека́ться (otrekátʹsja)to renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- лжесвиде́тельствовать (lžesvidételʹstvovatʹ)to commit perjury
- наруша́ть кля́тву (narušátʹ kljátvu)to commit perjury
Turkish yemin etmek, yalan yere yemin etmek
- yemin etmekto renounce or deny something, especially under oath
- yalan yere yemin etmekto commit perjury
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with forswear
Cite this entry
forswear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forswear
“forswear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forswear. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forswear,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forswear.
Source: forswear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.